…Smut n' Stuff n' Things n' the Like.

Month: June 2017

Okay, okay, I admit it – the title is total clickbait. After all, what could be hotter than Wonder Woman…and kink?? But now that you’re here, how about you take a gander and find out some fun (sexy) facts about Wonder Woman’s origins. And when I say “origins,” I’m not referring to Diana, Princess of Themyscira’s origin story, but rather to the man who created this goddess and gave the world one of its most recognizable, strongest feminist superheroes.

In 1941, writer and psychologist William Moulton Marston (pen name: Charles Moulton) created Wonder Woman. Incidentally, Marston was also instrumental in the development of the polygraph machine. But where’s the kink you promised, Jaye? Well, here you go! For starters, Marston and his wife Elizabeth were involved in a polyamorous relationship with Olive Byrne, the woman largely credited with providing the inspiration for Wonder Woman’s appearance, especially her iconic bracelets. All three were fervent feminists and Marston would explain, “Wonder Woman is psychological propaganda for the new type of woman who should, I believe, rule the world.” While his idea that Wonder Woman “would triumph not with fists or firepower, but with love,” may ring as decidedly non-feminist according to our modern sensibilities, his foresight in creating a vehicle for a strong female comic book lead character was unheard of during the 1940s.

Of course, one of the kinkiest elements in the comic books and in the subsequent TV iterations of the iconic goddess is that of bondage. Diana often finds herself tied up and held at the mercy of her foes, invariably escaping through her own cunning and strength. This is largely due to the fact that Marston aimed to subvert the ‘damsel in distress’ trope – Wonder Woman can rescue herself, dammit! But isn’t it hot to see her all tied up in the first place? Why, yes. Yes, it is. And it’s quite likely that Marston agreed with us wholeheartedly, at one point describing bondage and submission as “a respectable and noble practice.” A gorgeous, nearly omnipotent feminist all tied up, who then releases herself from bondage? Hot damn… No wonder she’s been around for nearly 80 years.

For all of the fascinating details of how Wonder Woman has evolved over the years, how she became a feminist icon, and even how she (briefly) became an Honorary Ambassador to the UN, please refer to her Wikipedia article, the same source for the information I’ve included in this post.

While I am anything but a Twitter expert, as I’ve begun my journey as a published author, I’ve learned to embrace and even enjoy the 140-character-based social media platform. It’s fun to see which pics get retweeted most often, which hashtags seem to provoke responses, and which followers pick up on the subtle (and not so subtle!) nuances in my tweets.

However (and yes, I’m decidedly old-school when it comes to communication), it’s somewhat disheartening to see an increasing level of follower auto-response services within Twitter. For example, I’ll follow someone’s feed and immediately receive an automated “thank you” response along with an offer to subscribe to the same service that generated the “thank you”. Now, please don’t misunderstand me, we all like to be acknowledged and thanked, but somehow being thanked and upsold by a bot just isn’t the same, is it? I think I’d just as soon not get the message in the first place.

Now, of course, comes the time to toot my own horn. From the beginning, I’ve made it a point to thank each of my Twitter followers via direct message, when possible – although if I’ve missed you, I apologize! It take a few seconds, but it makes a big difference. I’ve had a number of people respond with their own messages of thanks, follow-up comments and questions, or even a quick emoji. I’ve “met” people from all over the world and have had the opportunity to discuss books with them. I’ve even had some folks ask me which service I use to generate my responses, to which I invariably respond, “I don’t have a program. It’s all about the personal touch!” It makes the experience more rewarding and humanizing for everyone involved, and I’m always astounded at the impact a quick, genuine “thank you” can have on someone’s day.

I’m not saying that Twitter management tools are inherently bad, but I firmly believe that the best results stem from a careful balance between professional platform development and the personal touch. Just a little dose of the latter has the potential to go a long way, and, curmudgeonly though I may sound, I think the twitterati out there would be well served to keep this in mind.

Before I’d even considered trying my hand at writing, I had already heard of two fundamental precepts of the writing process:

Read as much as you can. Savor each thought-provoking turn of phrase, look up new words you’ve never heard before, delight in exquisite dialogue and descriptions. The more you read, the more confident you’ll be as a writer.

Share your work. Whether it’s with a trusted family member (although don’t expect unbiased feedback), a writers’ workshop, your online blogging community, or beta readers, be sure to share your work, consider the responses you receive, and make adjustments accordingly. You may not always agree with the data you get back from your readers, but at the very least you’ll have some new perspectives on your work.

Now, the first one? I’ve got that nailed. I’m an avid reader (Falling in (and out of) Love with Reading) and always enjoy seeing the world through another author’s eyes. But it’s that second one that I struggle with. I cannot stand sharing my work. I’m notoriously secretive. I don’t participate in workshops. I won’t even write on airplanes for fear that the nosy passenger in 12D might look over and take a gander at my prose. The only person with whom I’ve ever shared my work-in-progress is my husband, and even then, he only gets the occasional glimpse at a chapter.

I’m not sure whether or not this has to do with the subject matter I tackle – erotica of various flavors – or if it’s that I’m an inherently private person, not willing to share my writing until I’ve deemed it fit for popular consumption. Perhaps, as I grow as a writer, I’ll soften my views on sharing my work. But until that point, it’s mum’s the word.